Chairs are formed by fastening multiple components to each other. Examples of chair components being attached together may be appreciated from U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,419,222, 6,957,863, 6,913,315, 6,817,667, 6,802,566, 6,726,285, 6,669,292, 6,439,665, 5,035,466 and 3,233,885.
Various methods of attaching chair components can be used for assembling a chair. Often, fasteners, such as bolts or screws or glues or other adhesives are used to connect components of a chair to the chair. Such fastening mechanisms, however, can often include manufacturing limitations that are undesirable. For example, the fastening of bolts may require the fastening of the components to occur at a slower rate or the use of more costly manufacturing methods than application of a weld or glues. As another example, welding of metal components can result in a high rate of damaged components or require a direct access for the welder to the components to be welded.
Other fastening mechanisms may require the use of a frame member or carrier member inserted into a channel or groove formed in a component. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,386,634 and 6,540,950 disclose such fastening mechanisms, which are often used for fabric mesh back and seat components. Such fastening mechanisms require specific manufacturing tools and also require extra parts that have to be molded within certain tolerance ranges for connecting different components together. For example, the groove or channels of a component such as a back frame or seat frame must be sized for receiving a carrier member attached to a mesh skin. Such requirements increase the cost of manufacturing a chair and, in some instances, can complicate the assembly of the components.
A fastening method or fastening system is needed for fastening chair components together without detracting from a desired aesthetic effect of a chair or chair design. Preferably, the system or method can permit connections between components to connect the components without the use of fasteners such as bolts or screws or frame members that are insertable within grooves or channels in a frame member.